The conventional characteristic evaluation or the failure analysis of a semiconductor element has been performed using an apparatus, for example, prober, in which a needle called a probe is contacted to an electrode formed on a surface of a test element group (hereinafter, referred to as TEG), and then an electrical contact to a specific portion of the semiconductor element is measured.
Some methods have been proposed to determine measurements using the prober. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-326425, by S. Tomimatsu et al., a method is disclosed in which a plurality of probes each having a sharp tip are brought close to the electrodes of the test elements by means of a probe movement mechanism under the control by a probe movement control circuit while observing them using a scanning electron microscope until a contact current is saturated, and, after contacting them surely, a current-voltage characteristic between the probes is measured by an electrical characteristic measurement circuit.
Also, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9(1997)-26436, by T. Hasegawa et al., a method is disclosed in which a plurality of probes, each having a sharp tip, are arranged at more than 30° intervals in azimuthal angle while they are inclined from a normal of a surface of the test element.
Also, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-88258, by H. Yamaguchi et al., a method is disclosed in which a needle of a probe is contacted to a portion corresponding to an operating region such that a part of a current, which is obtained by irradiating an electron beam or an ion beam focused on the operating region or its vicinity on a surface or a cross section of a semiconductor material piece, flows to the minute needle of the probe, and the scanning is then performed to measure the current, thereby detecting the change of the current in the operating region.
Also, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-153763, by K. Yoshida, there is described a method of detecting a voltage by the use of a measuring probe in a drain side which is contacted to a measuring electrode provided to measure a potential of a drain electrode and a measuring probe in a source side which is contacted to a source electrode in a vertical semiconductor device such as MOSFET.
Also, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-196970, by T. Murakami et al., there is described a probe card, including a plurality of probes; a ring-shaped printed circuit board having a wiring pattern connected to each of the probes; and a ring-shaped holding stage for holding the probe, which is mounted concentrically and engaged with a central hole of the printed circuit board.
Also, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-111286, by M. Honma, a method is disclosed in which after adhering a conductive material to a rear surface of a semiconductor wafer, the semiconductor wafer is placed on a stage of a wafer prober, a voltage is applied to the stage, and, thereafter, inspection of the semiconductor device is made.
Also, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-133061, by K. Kunimasa, there is described a probe card, including a plurality of probe needles to be contacted to electrode pads of a semiconductor integrated circuit formed in a plurality of pellet regions on a wafer; and a plurality of dummy needles to be contacted to scribe lines in the vicinity of the pellet region having an electrode pad when the probe needle contacts to the electrode pad.